Care Bear -3yr- Valentine Decorations

My daughter's 3rd birthday party had a Care Bear theme.

Since the invitations were sent a few weeks prior to the party, we sent a 2nd mailing to each guest closer to the actual party date to help build excitement.  A few pages from a Care Bear coloring book were copied & included with a note that I wrote with markers, using rainbow colors:  "So glad to hear that you can come" Now my party will be much more fun!  See you soon!"  This was received about 3 days before the party. 

Decorations revolved around rainbows, hearts, and of course Care Bears.  A path of alternating rainbows & hearts from the driveway to the front door was made using sidewalk chalk. The Care Bear theme song was taped from a video onto a cassette & was played as guests arrived.  A "rainbow door" was created by hanging streamers (in the colors of the rainbow) from ceiling to floor at the doorway from foyer to family room. The kids loved going back and forth through this "door". We made use of our Valentine decorations by hanging hearts all over. 

While waiting for all to arrive, each child decorated a Care Bear that was missing a symbol from his tummy (I found this also in a coloring book)  They wrote in their name or used stickers to give him a symbol shamrock, heart, rainbow and flower stickers were available.  This decorated Care Bear was glued to the center of a piece of cardstock and used later.  Also available were worksheets that I made in which they practiced tracing the number 3 and the word "three" since this was Danielle's 3rd birthday.  To be sure that everyone was a winner, we did a hunt instead of games. 

Outside each had to find 4 symbols that I had cut out from colored foam sheets:  a cloud, a star, a heart and the number 3.  Once a child found all 4 they brought them to me & glued them onto the cardstock with the previously decorated Care Bear on it.  Once their picture was complete they chose a prize out of the prize basket.  Prizes were wrapped in Care Bear gift wrap and included:  Care Bear coloring books & reading books, play-doh, rainbow plastic slinkies & rainbow colored balls. 

Another simple craft of making a felt rainbow was done.  I had previously cut felt pieces so that all they had to do was glue them, one on top of the other, in the proper order from smallest to biggest (with purple being the smallest, red the biggest & corresponding colors of the rainbow in between.) This was so simple but this 3 & 4year old group loved it.  Most wanted to make another but I had only cut out enough pieces for each child to make one. 

The cake was a rainbow cake surrounded by Care Bear figurines found at the dollar store.  This was done by baking a 9 inch round cake.  Cut it in half lengthwise forming 2 semicircles.  Bring both halves together, "standing" the cake on the longer, cut sides.  Then cut out a small semicircle at the bottom to form the space for rainbow's arch.  Decorate with colored icings to look like a rainbow. 

Goodie bags were solid colored bags tied with rainbow ribbon & arranged on the mantel in the order of the colors of a rainbow.  They contained small Care Bear figurines like the ones that surrounded the cake, rainbow & Care Bear stickers, rainbow erasers, Care Bear pencils & Care Bear "chargers":  plastic baggies filled with rainbow colored candy such as smarties, skittles, laffy taffy that were placed inside toilet paper tubes & wrapped in Care Bear gift wrap. 

Party snacks stayed with the rainbow theme:  rainbow Goldfish, rainbow colored marshmallows, rainbow bars which were just like Rice Krispie treats but made with Fruity Pebbles rather than Rice Krispies.  Rainbow sherbert was served with the cake. 

This was really a fun theme & I'll bet most of those kids still remember the order of the colors of the rainbow!  Good Luck!